Page 51 of Seizing Mack
Chapter Twenty-Four
~ Mack ~
Mack felt nervous beingso far out of her element, but she tried to overcome that. She was here, amidst the beautiful people, just like Cinderella. Her dress wasn’t an exclusive designer, and her jewelry was not from Tiffany or Cartier, but they were good pieces. Things her mother said no woman should ever be without – diamonds, gold, and pearls. She had that covered, at least. She wore small but perfect pearl studs and delicate hanging diamond earrings in her doubly-pierced lobes, along with a matching fine gold chain with a pearl in the center and flanked by tiny diamonds. Jay and Marcus had spent hours picking out the perfect dress and accessories, doing her hair and make-up. Mack felt... feminine.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t horrible.
Even her date was turning out better than expected. Kent had picked her up, held the door open for her, and had been a perfect gentleman. It wasn’t easy for him, she knew. She caught his buddies snickering more than once. Mack raised her chin, determined not to embarrass him by flipping them off or beating the crap out of those losers.
Mack shifted nervously, her eyes scanning the room as she sipped the glass of white wine Kent had procured for her. A lot of people she recognized from the gym. It was both odd and interesting to see them all dressed up. Her eye automatically sought out Nick Benning, looking especially hot in a traditional black tux. A pang went through her. He appeared to be alone. A couple of times, she could have sworn she felt his eyes on her, but each time she faced him, his attention was elsewhere.
Not for the first time, she wondered if she had said or done something wrong. She’d had such a good feeling after their coffee shop date, but now he seemed determined to avoid her, and her pride wouldn’t allow her to walk up to him and ask. Nick had no problem approaching her before, which meant that he should have been able to do so now — assuming he wanted to.
Unless, of course, he was keeping his distance because she was here with Kent. Was it possible that he was jealous? It was a heady, wishful thought, but he had nothing to be jealous of. Kent was nice and he was handsome, but Mack felt none of the tingles she had around Nick. They were simply here as friendly acquaintances, nothing more.
More importantly, ifNickhad asked her to go to the ball — or for coffee or some Netflix, for that matter — she wouldn’t be there with Kent.
“Would you like to get some fresh air?” Kent asked, his hand lightly resting on her lower back. The innocuous contact felt strange, but since his hand wasn’t wandering any farther south, she didn’t want to make a big deal over it.
“Yes, please,” she said honestly.
“You look stunning tonight, Mack,” he complimented as he led her out into the cool evening air. It felt wonderful after the heat of the crowded room and she inhaled deeply, filling her lungs. The local florist had gone all out with her donation, filling the landscaped patio with dozens of fragrant potted gardenias and freshly cut pine boughs.
“Thanks,” she said, feeling the blush rise in her cheeks. Had any man ever called her stunning before?
He shifted his weight as though he was experiencing a slight case of the awkwards, too, and Mack couldn’t help but feel flattered by that. She’d made men nervous before, but for totally different reasons. Never because someone thought she lookedstunning.
“I mean,” he said, waving his hand, “who knew you were hiding all that?”
Mack’s blush deepened. Her first covert foray into Victoria’s Secret was proving to be well worth it. The barely-there thong did make her butt look amazing through the clingy material, and the lacy push-up bra accentuated full breasts that were normally smushed and flattened by her preferred athletic sportswear.
How would a confident, desirable woman respond to something like that? Mack tried to imagine what Dee would say. “Glad you like it,” she murmured.
Apparently, he did, because seconds later, he was pressing her against the red brick wall and trying to snake her internal plumbing by sticking his tongue down her throat. Caught off guard, her hand-to-hand training kicked in automatically, and a moment later, he was wheezing on the ground in the fetal position, clutching his family jewels.
“What the fuck?!” he ground out around the moan.
Mortified, Mack dropped to her knees and reached out for him. “Oh, crap. I am so sorry. It was instinct. I panicked.”
“Get away from me!” He recoiled from her touch. Another apology was on her lips when his eyes glanced toward the open patio doors. “You win!”
Mack turned around to see Dee smiling broadly. Some of Kent’s friends crowded around, looking uncomfortable. She looked back to her date, who no longer looked anything like a gentleman. “This was agame?”
Kent didn’t meet her eyes. He didn’t have to.
“More like a challenge,” Dee said smugly, looking at her nails before smirking at Mack triumphantly.
“A challenge,” Mack repeated softly. “What kind of challenge?”
“Yes. Kent fashions himself as somewhat of a ladies’ man. So much, in fact, that he could even convert those who, shall we say, don’t swing that way? I simply suggested he put his money where his mouth is.” She grinned wickedly. “Looks like I won.”
Mack rose slowly to her feet. It all made perfect sense now. How could she have been so stupid? Dee hadn’t changed. She was still the cruel, evil creature she’d always been, lashing out when she didn’t get her way. Even worse, this wasn’t the first time Dee had tried something like this. Back in high school though, Mack had been smart enoughnotto accept the quarterback’s invitation to the spring dance.
Mack summoned her courage and her dignity and looked down at Kent, who was still clutching his family jewels and irrationally, felt a stab of pity for him.
“What did you win? A night between Delilah’s legs? The joke’s on you, pal. She gives that shit away for free.”
“Jesus, Mack,” he wheezed. “It was all in fun, you know?”
